Students spiking with a cause

Wednesday

Feb 27, 2008 at 12:01 AMFeb 27, 2008 at 12:01 PM

Maureen Boyle

Sacred Heart students hit the court to raise money to help former student

When members of the girls volleyball team at Sacred Heart High School heard former team member Lindsay Briggs was awaiting a lung transplant, they wanted to find a way to raise money to defray her medical costs.

What they will do is hit the same court that 22-year-old Briggs played on as a student.

Members of the team are hosting a volleyball tournament, billed “The Battle for Briggs,” Friday afternoon at the school.

The tournament will feature former and current students and team members as well as faculty. Former boy band singer and Sacred Heart alum, Rich Cronin, who has battled leukemia, will address the crowd at noon.

“These kids really care,” said Dyan Nessralla, whose daughters Stephanie and Shelby helped organize the event. “They have gone all out. They care about Lindsay and want to help.”

Briggs of Carver, who has cystic fibrosis, is hospitalized at University of Pittsburgh Presbyterian Hospital in Pennsylvania. She is awaiting a lung transplant that doctors hope will extend her life. She has been in and out of the hospital there since last month.

Briggs had been No. 5 on a transplant list for a double lung transplant at Massachusetts General Hospital for six months and went to Pittsburgh where, doctors say, she may have a better chance of getting a transplant.

There are about 30,000 people in the United States diagnosed each year with cystic fibrosis — a genetic disease that causes mucus to build up and clog the body organs. Among the genetic diseases, it is the top killer of children and young adults.

Suzanne Giovanette, director of institutional advancement at Sacred Heart, said Briggs, a senior at Stonehill College in Easton, is an inspiration to others.

“This is honoring the determination of Lindsay and her family,” she said of the tournament. “She has stayed so determined and optimistic.”

Nessralla said she first met Briggs when she played volleyball with her daughters.

“She just had a great attitude,” Nessralla said. “At one point she had a hospitalization and was out for a few weeks. I remember being struck by this girl, how she was managing this illness every day of her life, yet she walked into that gym with a smile. She was so happy to see everybody, so positive.”

Former student Phil Ryan put a message on Facebook to reach out to school graduates for help with a fundraiser, she said. The result has been an outpouring of support and an event that organizers hope will boost Briggs’ spirits from afar as well as raise money.

The volleyball games will be held from 1-3 p.m. and admission is $3. T-shirts designed for the event will also be sold for $10 each.